Chapter 9
The pounding on the heavy oak door was relentless.
"Open the door!" Daulton roared, his fists hammering against the wood. "If you hurt him again, I swear to the Deity I'll kill you!"
Ella's heart slammed against her ribs. She stared at Cordaro, who was still lying motionless on the bed with the towel over his eyes. She had to fix this. She had to get back into character immediately.
She took a deep breath, forcing the panic down, and twisted her features into a mask of cold, furious rage.
She marched to the door, unlocked it, and yanked it open.
Daulton stumbled forward, his fist raised to strike the wood again. He barely stopped himself from punching Ella in the face.
Ella didn't hesitate. She slapped her palm hard against the doorframe, the loud crack echoing in the hallway.
"Are you out of your mind? !" she shrieked, her voice echoing with tyrannical fury. "Banging on my door in the middle of the night like a feral beast?"
Daulton's amber eyes were wild. He tried to look past her shoulder into the room, but Ella shifted her weight, using her body to completely block his line of sight.
Kevan came running down the hallway, his face pale. He grabbed Daulton's arm, trying to pull him back from the edge of suicide.
Just then, the cold, mechanical voice of Lex Cantor chimed in Ella's brain.
[Warning. Host's recent acts of kindness have caused Animosity Points to drop below the critical safety threshold. Please generate points immediately to avoid punishment. ]
Ella cursed the System. She needed to do something incredibly cruel, right now, to save her own skin.
She scanned her memories, looking for a target. She remembered the other consorts.
She reached out and grabbed Kevan by the front of his tunic, yanking him forward.
"Where is Cato?" she demanded, her voice dripping with venom. "Where is that crippled leopard? He's been gone for weeks."
Kevan trembled, his eyes dropping to the floor. "He... he was sent to the outer villages to trade for supplies, Master. He hasn't returned."
Ella let out a harsh, cruel laugh. "Good. That useless cripple was probably eaten by a low-tier slime monster. Saves me the trouble of feeding him."
The words were vile. Kevan flinched as if she had struck him. Daulton's wolf ears flattened completely against his skull, his chest heaving with suppressed rage.
[Ding. Animosity Points +50. Threshold not met. ]
It wasn't enough.
Ella's eyes darted to Daulton. Specifically, to the thick, silver-gray wolf tail extending from the base of his spine. It was currently rigid, sticking straight out in pure aggression.
For a wolf beastman, the tail was a point of immense pride and extreme physical sensitivity. Touching it without permission was the ultimate violation of dignity.
Ella didn't think. She just acted.
She let go of Kevan, stepped forward, and reached around Daulton. Her hand clamped down hard on the base of his wolf tail.
Daulton's entire body went rigid. His eyes blew wide open in absolute shock. A strangled, high-pitched yelp tore from his throat.
Ella didn't let go. To maximize the points, she deliberately ran her fingers up the sensitive fur, giving it a firm, mocking squeeze.
The physical overstimulation hit Daulton's nervous system like a freight train. His legs instantly gave out.
He collapsed onto his knees on the hallway floor, his face burning with a heat so intense he felt like he was on fire. Tears of pure, unadulterated humiliation pricked the corners of his eyes. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He was completely paralyzed by the shame.
Kevan stared in horror. This was a new level of psychological torture.
Ella looked down at Daulton and let out a loud, mocking cackle.
"Look at the great wolf warrior," she sneered, her voice echoing down the hall. "I touch your tail and you fall to your knees like a weak little pup. You are pathetic."
A massive cascade of notifications exploded in Ella's vision.
[Ding. Animosity Points +300. Safety threshold exceeded. ]
Ella internally screamed apologies to the boy, but outwardly, she kicked his boot away in disgust.
"Get this embarrassing trash out of my hallway," she ordered Kevan.
Kevan quickly hauled the trembling, paralyzed Daulton to his feet and dragged him away down the corridor.
Ella watched them go, her chest heaving. She stepped back into the guest room and closed the heavy oak door, leaning her forehead against the cool wood. She was exhausted.
She turned around.
The breath left her lungs in a rush.
The towel was gone. Cordaro was sitting up against the headboard. His deep, intelligent eyes were wide open, staring directly at her.
He had heard everything. And he was fully awake.
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